


Lingering in the Ocean Blue

by MisterAnimeFan



Series: DP Love: A Collection of Ikarishipping Short Stories [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 02:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterAnimeFan/pseuds/MisterAnimeFan
Summary: While staying at the Grand Lake Resort, Ash and friends meet up with Paul.  After pulling a prank on Paul that goes wrong, Dawn learns an unfortunate secret about Paul.  She then decides to try and help him overcome his fears.  Will she succeed?  Or will Paul's trademark stubbornness get the better of them?
Relationships: Hikari | Dawn/Shinji | Paul
Series: DP Love: A Collection of Ikarishipping Short Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1114020
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Lingering in the Ocean Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of a chapter I wrote for the other site over a decade ago. After looking at it and re-reading it, I decided to go back and do a little bit of rewriting. I want to go back and improve the writing, fix spelling/grammar mistakes, change a couple of things around, maybe remove some plotlines that went nowhere, and most importantly fix the characterization.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the story!

* * *

“Luxio, use Thunder!” Paul shouted at his Pokémon.

Luxio gathered all the electric energy in his body, to the point where sparks began flying off his body, and fired a strong beam of light towards his opponent, Crasher Wake's Floatzel."Floatzel, hurry and use Water Jet!" Crasher Wake shouted.

Floatzel jumped into the pool of water and avoided Luxio’s attack.Using his tail as a propeller, he launched himself towards Luxio and knocked Luxio off his feet.Luxio struggled to get back on his feet.“Come on, Luxio!Get up!” Paul shouted.

After his disappointing gym battle against Fantina in Hearthome City, Paul decided to make his way to Pastoria City and challenge the gym leader, Crasher Wake, for the Fen Badge.

Unfortunately, he didn’t expect the battlefield to take place in a giant pool of water with small floating platforms on top, which meant he couldn’t utilize Torterra’s type advantage over Wake’s water-type Pokémon.He had no choice but to rely on Luxio for the whole battle.

While Luxio managed to stand against Crasher Wake’s Gyarados and Shellos,his Floatzel was proving to be a real challenge.

As Luxio was getting back onto his feet, Paul had an idea.“Luxio, use Thunder and electrify the water!” he shouted.

Luxio crouched down and harnessed all of the electric energy in his body.“Ah, I see what you’re trying to do,” said Wake.“But unfortunately, you won’t get the chance to fry my Floatzel!Floatzel, use Aqua Jet to stop Luxio!"

Before Luxio could fire off a Thunder attack, Floatzel jumped high up from the water into the air.He then flew towards Luxio and tackled him head-on!The attack was strong enough to send Luxio flying into the water!Paul growled in frustration as Luxio paddled back onto the platform.His fur was now completely soaked to the bone.Luxio panted as he tried to recover.

“I commend your Pokémon for lasting this long,” said Crasher Wake, “it’s quite a powerful beast, but power means nothing if your opponent can out-speed you!”

Paul only growled as Luxio attempted to get up onto his feet.“Come on, Luxio!” urged Paul.“Don’t disappoint me again!”

Suddenly, Paul heard a familiar voice call to him.“Hey guys, look!It’s Paul!”

Paul turned around and saw Ash and his friends walking into the gym.“Oh great, now you’re here too,” he groaned.“Are you guys just following me or something?”

“Hey Paul!” Ash shouted.“Are you battling the gym leader?”

“What do you think?!” snapped Paul.

“Easy now,” scolded Crasher Wake, “I understand you’re frustrated, but that’s no way to talk to your friends.”

“How many times do I have to say this to people?They’re not my friends,” corrected Paul.

Ash and his friends then took a seat on the bleachers alongside the battlefield.Brock looked up at the scoreboard and saw that Crasher Wake was down to his last Pokémon, but Paul was still on his first Pokémon.

Ash then turned his attention to the battlefield and saw Luxio slowly getting back to his feet.“Whoa,” gasped Ash.“Check it out!Paul has a Luxio now!”

“It must have evolved from Paul’s Shinx,” said Brock, “the one we saw during Paul’s battle with Fantina.”

“Really?!” Dawn asked, excitedly.Hearing this made her smile.Not only did Paul really keep the Shinx he wanted to abandon back in Hearthome City, but he trained it to the point where it had evolved.

Dawn anxiously watched as Luxio shook the water from his fur.“ _Come on Luxio,_ ” she thought.“ _You can do it!_ ”

“Alright, Floatzel!” shouted Wake.“Finish Luxio off with Ice Fang!”

Floatzel’s teeth began to glow bright blue.He then fired two beams of light from his fangs towards Luxio.“Luxio, hurry and jump onto another platform!” shouted Paul.

Luxio heard his trainer’s demand and quickly hopped onto another platform, avoiding the Ice Fang attack.“Now counter with Charge Beam!”Luxio then fired another Charge Beam towards Floatzel.“Floatzel, quick!Into the water!” Crasher Wake shouted.

Floatzel quickly leaped into the water.The Charge Beam missed, but the floating platform in which Floatzel stood on erupted in smoke when it made contact.Everyone was amazed by the powerful attack.“That Charge Beam was amazing!” praised Dawn.

“Looks like Paul’s Luxio gained some tremendous strength once it evolved into a Luxio,” explained Brock.

“Hopefully, that’s enough for Paul to win,” worried Dawn.

“Haha!Looks like you’re finished!” boasted Crasher Wake.“Let’s end this, Floatzel, with Aqua Jet!”

Floatzel sped towards Luxio, encasing himself in a shield made of water.Ash and his friends were on the edge of their seat, anxiously waiting for Luxio’s next move.“Luxio, use Iron Tail now!” ordered Paul.

Luxio, determined not to lose another gym battle, began to harden his tail.His tail glowed brightly as it became as hard as steel.Then, as Floatzel was about to strike, Luxio swung forward and struck Floatzel across the face.

Everyone was in awe as the powerful attack blocked Floatzel’s Aqua Jet attack and sent him flying back into the water.“Now’s your chance!Use Thunder!” Paul shouted.

Luxio, with all the swiftness of a limber deer, quickly stuck his tail into the pool of water and, with every ounce of energy left in his body, he channeled all of the electricity in his body and lit up the entire pool with a jolt of Thunder!Everyone shielded their eyes as the Thunder attack lit the entire gym.“Whoa!Talk about overkill!” said Ash.

Eventually, the attack died down.Luxio was panting heavily.He struggled to remain standing.“That attack sure took a lot out of Luxio,” commented Dawn.

Crasher Wake looked to the field, but couldn’t see his Pokémon anywhere.“Floatzel!Are you alright?” Crasher Wake asked, worriedly.

Everyone anxiously waited for any sign of Floatzel.They waited and waited until finally, Floatzel floated up onto the surface.His entire body was completely paralyzed by Luxio’s body.He was unable to continue battling.

The referee raised his hand.“Floatzel is unable to battle!The winner of this battle is Paul from Veilstone City!” announced the referee.

“Wow!Paul did it!” said Ash.

“Alright, Luxio!” cheered Dawn.

Luxio, though exhausted, turned and smiled at his trainer.He hoped that his trainer would smile back at him, but Paul still had the same disapproving look on his face.Luxio then collapsed, no longer able to keep standing.“Alright, that’s it, Luxio,” said Paul.“Return!”Paul then retreated his Pokémon back into his Poké Ball.

Crasher Wake picked up its fallen Floatzel from the water. "It's alright, friend!" he said, compassionately."You may have lost the battle, but not without putting up a good fight.Now take a nice long rest!"Wake then retreated Crasher Wake back into his Poké Ball.

Paul and Crasher Wake then stepped down from the battlefield and met each other in front of the gym bleachers.“That was an outstanding battle, young man!” Crasher Wake said, proudly.“Your Luxio put up a fantastic fight, showing such resilience and determination!”

“Yeah, that last Thunder attack really did a number on Floatzel,” added Brock.

“Indeed,” agreed Crasher Wake.“Luxio really worked hard out there.Make sure you go easy on him for a few days, alright?”

Paul said nothing.

Crasher Wake then held out a small box.Inside was a small circular metal badge shaped like a wave with grey reeds around it.It was the Fen Badge.“Paul, as Pastoria City Gym Leader, I hereby award you the Fen Badge!” he said, proudly.

Ash and his friends all clapped for Paul as he received his badge.Paul hated it, but chose to ignore it.

Paul bowed down to Crasher Wake.“Thank you very much for accepting my challenge and for this badge,” he said, politely.

“No, thank you for an outstanding battle!” replied Crasher Wake.

Paul turned around and began making his way to the exit.“Hey, where are you going?” Dawn asked.

“Back to Hearthome City,” replied Paul.“I’m sure I can defeat Fantina’s Pokémon now.”

“Fantina, huh?” Crasher Wake asked.“Yeah, she sure is one tough cookie.”

“You got that right” replied Ash.

Ash then rubbed Pikachu’s head.“We tried our best, but we just couldn’t beat her,” he said, mournfully.

“You mean you lost against Fantina?” asked Paul.“How pathetic.”

“Excuse me, you lost to her too, Mr. Grumpy!” snapped Dawn.

“Yeah, but not as bad as he did,” argued Paul.

“How would you know?!You weren’t even there!” said Dawn.

“I just know.”

Dawn glared at Paul, who only glared right back at her.“Now, now, there’s no need to fight,” Crasher Wake said, trying to calm the two down.“A lot of Pokémon trainers have trouble with Fantina’s Pokémon.Heck, even I’ve lost against her a few times.Her Pokémon are no joke.”

It was then that an idea came into Crasher Wake’s mind.“Hey, I got just the thing for the two of you!” he said, happily.

“Huh?” asked Ash.

“What are you talking about?” Paul asked.

Crasher Wake began digging through the belt of his tights.“Hang on...I think I still have some right here,” he muttered. “Ah-ha!Here they are!”

He then handed Ash and Paul some vouchers.“What’s this?” Paul asked.

“There’s a hotel nearby here called the Hotel Grand Lake,” explained Crasher Wake.

“You mean the one near Lake Valor?” Brock asked.

“That’s the one!” confirmed Crasher Wake.“As a gym leader, they’re always giving me little perks.Free dinners, VIP shows, y’know things like that.Well, this time they’re giving me a few days in one of their bungalows for free.”

Crasher Wake then looked at Paul.“I figured since your Pokémon did a tremendous job in today’s battle, you and your friends could take those tickets and spend a few days at the resort, my treat!” Crasher Wake said.

“I told you!” snapped Paul.“They’re not…”

“Really?!” interrupted Dawn.“You’re giving us your free rooms?”

“That’s a really generous gift,” said Brock.“Are you sure you’re fine with that?”

Crasher Wake looked back at the group with a smile.“It’s quite alright,” he said, “I’m not one to settle down and relax!Me and my Pokémon are always on the move, working hard to win our next fight!”

Crasher Wake was caught off-guard when Paul gave him back his voucher.“Thank you, but I’m going to have to decline your offer,” Paul said.

“Wait, what?” asked Crasher Wake, confused.

“What?!” Ash and Dawn asked, shocked.

Paul tried to leave the gym, but Dawn quickly blocked his path and stopped him.“Hold on a minute!What kind of person turns down a free vacation at a luxury resort?!” she asked, angrily.

“Me,” replied Paul.“I don’t have time for a vacation.”

“Sure you do!” Crasher Wake replied.“It’s not like the gym in Hearthome City is going anywhere.Come on now!Just take it easy for a bit.”

Paul scoffed at the idea.“If Ash wants to slack off and neglect his training, he’s more than welcome to,” he replied.“But I got better things to do than build sandcastles and pig out on food.”

He walked around Dawn and left the gym.Dawn was disappointed to see him just leave and reject a free vacation from Crasher Wake.

“Man, talk about stiff as a board,” said Crasher Wake.

* * *

Despite Paul rejecting the free hotel stay, Ash and his friends were eager to accept.They were excited to stay at the Hotel Grand Lake, one of Sinnoh’s most famous hotels.

The resort sat on the side of a cliff, with the bungalows scattered around.Some of the bungalows, as well as the Seven Stars Restaurant, overlooked the beach and the beautiful, crystal-clear ocean.

Ash, Brock, and Dawn were led to their bungalow by one of the hotel bellboys."Here you are," the bellboy said, as he placed their bags on the ground.

"Wow," Ash said, as he stepped inside.

The bungalow was large, with three beds, two bathrooms, and a small mini-kitchen in the corner.The bellboy handed them their room keys and then left.

"Oh wow, this is so cool!" Ash said.

“Talk about luxury,” said Brock.

Dawn walked into one of the rooms and jumped onto her bed."Oh my, these beds are so comfy and soft!" she said, blissfully.

Her Pokémon jumped on the bed and began bouncing around Dawn."Hey!What are you guys doing?!" she scolded.But her Pokémon wouldn’t listen.Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, and Ambipom continued jumping.

"Hey, check out the view!" Ash said.Their bungalow had a magnificent view of the ocean.Ash and Brock stood out on the patio behind the bungalow.They could feel the cool ocean breeze as they watched the people surfing and flying kites on the beach.

"Man, this place is cool," Ash said.

"Wow, Crasher Wake really hooked us up,” said Brock.

Dawn then leaped off the bed with her Pokémon."Well, I don’t know about you guys,” she said, “but I’m going to go down to the pool!”

"Great idea! I'm going too!" Brock said.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ash said.

* * *

After changing into their swimsuits, the three trainers and their Pokémon made their way to the hotel pool.

“It’s amazing how nice this place is,” said Brock.

“I still can’t believe Paul said no,” added Ash.“Why would anyone look at this place and say no?”

“He’s a jerk!” pouted Dawn, “He’d rather be miserable than actually do anything fun in his life.”

“Iwonder what his deal is,” pondered Brock.

Soon, they passed by the Seven Stars Restaurant.Ash and Pikachu suddenly gasped.Ash dropped his stuff and ran up to a nearby window.“Pikachu, look at all that food!” he said, excitedly.

Ash and Pikachu peered inside the restaurant. Inside, there were many people sitting down and enjoying delicious food, such as steaks, pasta, and artisan burgers.

"Man, are you seeing this Pikachu?" asked Ash.

Pikachu had his face pressed to the window.He was delighted when he saw a waiter carrying extra ketchup bottles to the back room.

Brock and Dawn were a bit embarrassed by Ash and Pikachu’s behavior.“Hey guys, maybe you should back away from the window?” asked Brock.“I don’t think the other diners like you staring at them.”

“Also, you’re drooling over the window,” added Dawn.

Ash and Pikachu backed away from the windows."Well, I know where we're going after the pool!" Ash said, happily.

* * *

**MEANWHILE...**

“Use Charge Beam, Luxio!” shouted Paul.

Luxio gathered all of the energy in his body and fired a small beam of electricity at the Wingull he was facing, zapping it out of the sky.The Wingull fell to the ground, unconscious.

Paul then grabbed a Poké Ball from his pocket.“Alright!Poké Ball, go get it!”

He threw the Poké Ball at the defeated Wingull, capturing it with ease.

Luxio smiled and pranced around, doing a happy victory dance.He quickly stopped when Paul glared at him disapprovingly.“What are you happy about?” asked Paul.“We don’t even know if this Wingull is even worth keeping.”

On Route 213, Paul took a quick detour from the path to Hearthome City to search for more wild Pokémon.However, his search was turning up nothing, as all of the Pokémon he captured failed to impress.

Paul walked over and picked up Wingull’s Poké Ball.He took out his PokéDex and scanned the Poké Ball.Luxio watched as Paul analyzed what moves Wingull knew.He noticed growing more and more annoyed the longer he scanned it.

Then, Paul threw the Poké Ball into the air and released Wingull back into the wild.“Another disappointment,” he muttered.“That’s enough time wasted here.Let’s get going.”

Paul started walking to Hearthome City.Luxio quickly followed alongside him.

As they were walking, Luxio caught a glimpse of the Hotel Grand Lake in the distance.He was amazed to see such a beautiful hotel.He ran ahead of his trainer to get a better look.“Where are you going?” Paul asked.

Luxio stopped a few feet in front of his trainer and gazed at the hotel.

Paul looked up and saw the Hotel Grand Lake.“Oh, that’s probably that stupid hotel that Crasher Wake was trying to make us stay at,” explained Paul.“Ignore it.Let’s just keep going.”

Paul tried to continue on his way, but Luxio suddenly bit into his pant leg and tugged on it.“Hey, I told you to stop biting my pants!” scolded Paul.

Luxio let go of his pants, but turned to the Hotel Grand Lake.Luxio looked to his trainer and then looked back at the hotel.Luxio meowed at Paul before looking back at the hotel.“No, we’re not going there!” snapped Paul.

Luxio meowed at him.“I said no!” argued Paul.“I don’t even have the free ticket he gave us!”

Luxio hissed at him.“What are you giving me an attitude for?” scolded Paul.

Luxio continued looking back and forth between Paul and the hotel.Before Paul could react, Luxio suddenly took off towards the Hotel Grand Lake.“What are you doing?!” shouted Paul.“Get back here!”

Reluctantly, Paul gave chase to his speedy little Pokémon.

* * *

Ash, Dawn, and Brock were having fun swimming in the hotel pool with their Pokémon.Pikachu floated around in an inner tube alongside Piplup and Happiny.

Dawn floated on her back with her eyes shut.She sighed as she felt both the bright sun shining on her face as well as the cool water all around her body.“So...relaxing...” she said.

“ _Pip-lup_ ,” said Piplup, agreeing with her trainer.

Dawn’s moment of bliss was interrupted when a volleyball smacked her in the face.She shot up and grabbed her nose in agony.“Dawn, are you alright?” Ash asked, worriedly.

Dawn saw that Ash and Brock were having a volleyball game and that it was Ash who spiked the volleyball in her face, by accident of course.“Sorry about that,” Ash said.“You think you can get that for us?”

“Hey!You ruined my peaceful moment!” Dawn shouted, as she spiked the ball back towards Ash.

* * *

“Out of the way!” Paul shouted, as he pushed a hotel guest out of the way.

Paul had chased his Luxio all the way to the Hotel Grand Lake.But Luxio still refused to stop.He weaved in and out of foot traffic as he explored the whole resort.Paul had to rudely push and shove people aside as he continued pursuing Luxio through the busy resort.

Paul stopped in front of a gift shop, having lost sight of Luxio.“Luxio!Where are you?!” he shouted, angrily.

He looked all around, but he couldn’t find Luxio.“I’m going to make pay for this,”murmured.

He turned around a corner...and saw Luxio trying to make sense of the many different arrow signs pointing to different parts of the whole resort.“Ah-ha!There you are!” he shouted.

Luxio jumped when he heard Paul’s voice.He quickly took off again.“Get back here!” Paul shouted.He started chasing him again.

* * *

Dawn climbed out of the pool and dried herself off with one of the hotel towels. "Lousy volleyball..." she murmured, angrily.She rubbed her face as her face still felt sore.

She then walked over to one of the pool chairs.“Oh well,” she said.“I think I’ll just lie down and soak up the sun for a little bit.”

She stretched out and shut her eyes.

* * *

Luxio climbed up a long set of stairs, up to where the bungalows were.Once he reached the top of the stairs, he had to stop to take a breath.His paws were becoming sore from running all over the place.

As he was breathing heavily, he looked up and saw the hotel pool.He then noticed Dawn, sleeping on one of the pool chairs.His face lit up and he ran towards the hotel pool.

No sooner had he left, Paul finally appeared, coughing and wheezing as he had ran up the long flight of stairs.

Luxio rushed past a waiter who was just leaving the pool area (conveniently allowing him to enter) and charged towards Dawn.He leaped up and landed right on Dawn’s stomach.

Dawn shot up when she felt something heavy on her stomach.“Hey, what the…?!” she shouted.She then yelped as she saw a Luxio standing on top of her.She then calmed down when she saw it was a very familiar-looking Luxio.“Luxio?What are you doing here?” she asked, confused.

Luxio replied by leaning in and licking her face.Dawn laughed as Luxio licked her cheek.“Haha...okay, stop it!” she laughed.

She then heard a loud roar as Paul suddenly appeared and grabbed Luxio.Luxio tried hard to break free, but Paul had his arms wrapped up tight around him to keep him from running away.“Luxio, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing,” he yelled, “but I’m not having any…”

Paul then realized that he was at the pool with Dawn, Ash, and Brock.“Oh great,” he murmured.

He then glared at his Luxio.“So that’s why you brought me here?” he asked, annoyed.Luxio looked away.

“Oh, hey Paul!” Dawn said.“I should have known that was your Luxio.What are you guys doing here?Wait!Don’t tell me.You were feeling really stressed out, so you decided to come back here and take a free vacation here at the resort!”

“Yeah, right,” snapped Paul.“Luxio got away and had me running all over this place.And now we’re leaving.”

Before Paul could turn away, Luxio managed to wiggle himself out of Paul’s grasp.He quickly jumped back onto Dawn’s seat and rested firmly right next to her.His fur tickled Dawn’s side.“He sure is affectionate,” she said, as Luxio hogged up all of the space.

“Honestly…” Paul murmured, annoyed at his Pokémon.

Paul reached down to try and pick Luxio up off Dawn’s chair.“Come on, we’re not staying here,” he said, sternly.But Luxio clinged on, refusing to let go.“Luxio, what is wrong with you?”

Finally, after a few more failed attempts, Paul gave up.He was still tired from chasing Luxio all around the hotel and didn’t feel like arguing or fighting with him anymore.“Okay, whatever,” he groaned.

Paul then laid down in the pool chair next to Dawn.“So you’re going to stay after all?” asked Dawn.

“Sure, whatever,” Paul replied, throwing his hand up in the air.“I don’t have the energy to fight with him anymore.”

Paul then put his feet up.“But only for a few minutes!And then we’re out of here!”

Dawn smiled as Paul sat back in the pool chair with his arms crossed and his usual scowl on his face.Paul watched as Ash and Brock continued their game of volleyball.“So, Ash is really going to play games instead of training for his next battle?” he asked.“Pathetic.”

“Oh, lighten up,” replied Dawn.“It doesn’t hurt to settle down and have fun once in a while.Just relax.After your gym battle today, you and Luxio both deserve a break.”

Paul then noticed Dawn stroking Luxio’s fur, who was sleeping soundly next to Dawn.He also noticed that Luxio’s tongue was sticking out as he was enjoying Dawn’s gentle petting.“Stop that,” he ordered.

“What?I’m just petting him,” said Dawn.“I think he likes it.”

“That’s why I want you to stop,” explained Paul.

“Just let him be.”

Despite Paul’s protest, Dawn continued stroking Luxio’s fur.“I’m really glad you decided not to abandon him back in Hearthome City,” she said.“He turned out to be a strong Pokémon after all.”

“He can be,” replied Paul.“But you have no idea how difficult it is to train this little...pest.”

“He’s not a little pest!” argued Dawn.

“Yes, he is!” snapped Paul.“He’s the only Pokémon I‘ve ever caught that seems to go out of his way to make me angry.Sometimes, he doesn’t listen to what I am saying.He’s always rubbing up against my leg.Instead of battling wild Pokémon, he goes off chasing after birds.He’s always begging for more food...”

“And yet, you haven’t abandoned him.Maybe someone’s starting to get a little attached to their Pokémon.”

“In your dreams,” grunted Paul.

Dawn patted Luxio’s head.“You just need to be more patient,” she continued,“Give Luxio some time, work with him a little more, and he’ll get better.I mean, he did manage to single-handedly defeat all of Crasher Wake’s Pokémon.So, he’s anything but weak.”

“Yeah...,” he replied.“If only he was more obedient.”

Dawn then stretched out.“Anyway, I’m going back to taking a nap,” Dawn said.Dawn leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes.

Paul watched as everyone was either playing in the pool or relaxing at the poolside, some with a drink in their hands.Ash, Brock, and their Pokémon (who surprisingly hasn’t noticed that he was there) kept on going with their volleyball game.Paul only shook his head at Ash having fun.

Paul then noticed Dawn had fallen asleep.Luxio was right at her side, also fast asleep.“She fell asleep pretty quickly,” he muttered.

"Heads up!" shouted a voice.

Suddenly, a volleyball appeared and blasted Paul right in the face.Paul fell out of his pool chair as he held onto his nose in pain.The commotion woke Dawn and Luxio up.“Huh?What happened?” Dawn asked, shocked.

She saw Paul on the floor, lying in pain.“Oh no!Are you okay?” she asked, worriedly.

Luxio jumped down from his seat to check on his trainer.Paul reached out, grabbed the volleyball, and shot back up onto his feet.“Alright, who threw that?!” he yelled.

“Sorry about that!” shouted Ash.

Paul looked out and saw that Ash and Brock had stopped their game.It turned out the volleyball he was holding was theirs.It was then that Ash and Brock finally realized Paul was there.“Paul, is that you?” Ash asked.

“When did you get here?” asked Brock.

Paul ignored their questions and continued yelling at them.“What’s the big deal throwing balls at my face?!” he shouted.

“Take it easy,” replied Ash.“It was an accident!”

Paul threw the ball back into the pool.“What are you doing here anyway?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, I thought you didn’t want to take the vacation,” added Brock.

“What am I doing here?” asked Paul.“What are **_you_** doing here?You got some nerve taking a vacation after losing against Fantina.”

“You lost to her too!” reminded Dawn.

“And for your information, this is more than just a vacation,” added Ash.“Crasher Wake told me that this was also a great place for Pokémon training.”

“Oh yeah, I can tell you’re really working hard now,” Paul said, sarcastically.

“Well, okay, maybe not the pool,” conceded Ash.“But starting tomorrow, we’re going to train non-stop for our battle with Crasher Wake.We’re going to be running miles on the beach, learning new moves at Lake Acuity, building up protein at the buffet…”

“That still sounds like a vacation,” replied Paul.

While Paul and Ash were arguing with each other, Dawn saw that Pauls’ back was turned.She then had a sneaky idea.

She slowly walked up behind him, tiptoeing to avoid making a noise for him to notice.

“Hey, Paul!” she shouted.

Before Paul knew what was coming, Dawn ran up to him and shoved him into the pool.

Everyone laughed as Paul sank to the bottom of the pool.“Nice one, Dawn,” laughed Ash.

“Maybe the water will chill him out,” joked Dawn.

Suddenly, Paul swam up to the surface, gasping for air.He swung his arms around, desperately trying to stay afloat.“Someone...help me!” he shouted.

“Oh, stop being dramatic, Paul!” shouted Dawn.“It’s only three feet deep!”

Everyone watched as Paul continued struggling to stay afloat.His hands and arms were all over the place as he tried hard to swim back up.“Uh, Paul?” Dawn asked, worriedly.

Suddenly, everyone went from laughing to becoming very worried.They grew even more concerned when Paul stopped flailing his arms without coming back up.“Uh-oh,” murmured Brock.

Ash and Brock quickly swam towards Paul.They each took one of his arms and hoisted up so that his head was above the water.Paul let out a big gasp as he could finally breathe again.Ash and Brock carried him over to the edge of the pool, where Luxio and Dawn helped him out of the water.

Paul dragged his whole body out of the pool.He let out several coughs and took several deep breaths as he tried to recover.Luxio tried to get a look at his trainer’s face, but Paul gently pushed him away.

“Oh my gosh, Paul!” Dawn said, frantically.“Are you alright?”

“Get the hell away from me!!” Paul yelled, angrily.

He slapped Dawn’s hand away from him when she tried to help back on his feet.He quickly got back onto his feet.Water dropped from his body as his clothes were completely drenched.His wet hair dropped over his eyes.

Despite that, Dawn could still see his nasty glare through his wet hair.She saw that he was absolutely furious!Her fears were confirmed when Paul pulled his wet hair back.“P-Paul, I’m...I’m so, so sorry!I-I-I didn’t, I mean I thought you...”

“What is wrong with you?!” he shouted, angrily.

“I-I-I just thought…I would...pull a little prank on you.That’s all.”

“A little prank?!I almost drowned because of you!!”

“But...”

“Your stupid prank could have killed me”

“It’s alright, sir,” said one of the hotel staff, trying to calm him down.“Just follow us and we’ll get you some dry clothes.”

“Get your hands off me!” snapped Paul, as he pushed the hotel employee away from him.“Forget this stupid place!I’m leaving now!”

Paul wasted no time leaving the pool area, furiously kicking the gate open as he did.Luxio quickly went after him, but not before angrily hissing at Dawn.

Once Paul left, everyone turned to face Dawn.She covered her mouth as she fought back the tears in her eyes.“I didn’t...I wasn’t trying...,” she whimpered.

“You know, looking at it now,” said Ash, “that probably wasn’t a good idea.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really happy with how this is turning out. The next chapter is almost done and I'm quite happy with how that turned out as well!
> 
> I looked forward to reading any comments you guys may have about the story!
> 
> NEXT TIME: Dawn goes after Paul to apologize to him and understand what happened that caused him to freak out. But Paul isn't exactly the type to forgive anyone. Or disclose anything about himself. Will Dawn be able to break through to him?


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